Miracle or Not

He was falling into the abyss again. He screamed as if his throat was being torn, but he was silent. Dozens of voices called out to him in unison. 

"You cannot escape the Black Void. Everything belongs to us. Even you. Sooner or later you will be ours."

He covered his ears to block it out, but the voice seemed to echo in his mind. It carried the essence of terror. It was a hunger for Huan Wei's hungry soul.

In the endless darkness, there was a small trickle of light. Huan Wei slowly opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat. He was looking at the beautifully colored ceiling.

His eyelids closed again. His brain ached like it was squeezed inside his skull. His throat was dry. He made one more effort and opened his eyes.

He was trying to understand where he was. So first he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered falling off the cliff. And the sword wound in his chest. Why wasn't he dead? Or was this what the cycle of reincarnation looked like?

Once he coughed, the sharp pain in his chest made him try to sit up. He rested one arm on the bed.

"Calm down, young man," said an older voice. He gently took him by the shoulders and slowly pushed him back on the bed. "You are not well enough to get up yet."

When Huan Wei put his head back on the pillow, he began to realize what had happened. It was the voice of Old Huan Zihao. He was one of the town's physicians. He came to him even after the young man had been beaten by his father. Huan Wei had no grudge against this man.

He slightly lowered his head and looked at his body. His chest and leg were bandaged. His clothes had been changed into clean ones. He was quite weak. Even if he could stand up, he didn't think he could take more than a few steps.

"How did I get here?" he said in an exhausted voice. He could not remember anything after the moment he fell off the cliff.

Old Zihao wiped the sweat from his forehead with a rag. "One of the gods must be protecting you, young man," he said. "The fisherman Huan Bojing and his fiancée were boating when you fell off the cliff. Huan Bojing saw you and pulled you out of the water and carried you here."

He put another pillow under the young man's head. "You were in terrible shape, Huan Wei. You had deep wounds on your leg. Your ribs were broken, your chest was ripped open and you lost a lot of blood. It's a miracle you survived."

Huan Wei closed his eyes. This was not a miracle. How could it be a miracle that someone who refused to accept death survived? It was the young man's choice to live against all odds. That was why he was alive.

"Thank you, Old Zihao." he said in the same exhausted voice. "Can you give me some water?"

The old man handed him a flask. Huan Wei drank from it. His chest ached with every sip.

After quenching his thirst, he waited in silence. The old man felt pity for him. "You are a strong young man, Huan Wei. I know people who have died with half the injuries you have received."

Huan Wei smiled slightly in pain. Was he really strong? He questioned himself. Why couldn't he kill Yuchi Meizhen then? Why were all his enemies crushing him?

He did not answer the old man. The old man left his side and brought the young man's clothes. "Keep these with you. I washed them and sewed up the tears. It was very useful of you to take care of your wounds."

He put the clothes aside. "But don't think you'll get out of here right away. I took care of your wounds, but it will take at least a week before you are fit enough to stand up. It may take a few months to fully recover."

Huan Wei slowly turned his head to look at him. His headache was very bad. "A few months? If I can't earn money, I'll be dead by then."

"Don't talk like that. You have a long life ahead of you." Old Zihao got up as if he remembered something. He hurried to the back and came back with a pouch in his hand. Huan Wei recognized it too. It was the pill pouch he had taken from Huan Liwei.

Huan Zihao put the pouch next to the young man. "I found this on you, it contains a healing pill. It could be very useful for your situation, but I don't know if it belongs to you."

The young man turned his head towards the ceiling again. "The girl gave it to me at the beginning." He coughed a few more times. The old man hurried to his side and took the pill out of the pouch and made him swallow it.

"You need it right now. You don't need to suffer over a simple healing pill."

Huan Wei swallowed the pill and closed his eyes. He was so tired. He ached all over.

He thought about Yuchi Meizhen. He felt his soul darken as he thought of her. In 14 years he had experienced many different horrors, but Yuchi Meizhen was the worst of them all. It almost made him give up on life completely. It was the first time he had ever come so close to death. He would never forget it. It was etched in his mind and soul.

"Get some rest, young man. Huan Fu wants to talk to you when you come to your senses."

Old Zihao left and Huan Wei fell asleep. There was nothing else he could do. The pill he had swallowed was already working to heal his wounds faster. Still, he didn't expect too much from a simple pill. As he fell asleep, he thought only of her. It hurt to grit his teeth.

After a while he opened his eyes. The sunlight coming in through the windows dazzled him. He raised one arm and shielded his eyes. He still had an intense headache, but at least his chest didn't hurt as much as before.

He looked around. His eyes were looking for old Zihao. He was not in the room. Huan Wei was alone.

He tried to sit up in bed. He put his hands on the mattress and sat up with difficulty. He lowered his head and checked his body again. He couldn't clench his fists enough. The medicine was ineffective. If he was lucky, his recovery time was reduced from a few months to a month or so. It would take time to recover.

For a while he leaned his back against the wall behind the bed and thought. He knew Huan Fu would come. The town leader would probably ask for information about Yuchi Meizhen. Huan Wei had to figure out what to say now. Because if he complained about her, it would show that he was still alive. The last thing he wanted was Yuchi Meizhen coming to tie up loose ends.

So he had to satisfy Huan Fu's curiosity. Or maybe even scare him a little. The town leader was also the representative of the Great Sword Palace in Bitter Sea Town. So if Huan Fu wanted to lodge a complaint, he might inadvertently lure Yuchi Meizhen here.

Thinking so much gave him a headache. It was hard to be weak. If he had the power, all he would think about now was how well he had hidden Yuchi Meizhen's corpse.

The door opened and Old Zihao came in. When he saw that the young man was awake, a smile appeared on his face. "You are awake. How do you feel?"

Huan Wei bowed his head. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Don't be grateful. This is my job." Huan Zihao came and put his hand on his forehead. "Good, your fever has subsided. You should be able to stand up soon."

Huan Wei's face fell. It meant he was going back to be with his father. It was reason enough for his happiness that he was still alive to fade. "Old Zihao, can I ask you something?"

"Tell, young man."

Huan Wei put on his innocent expression. "Can you send word to Huan Zhong? I used to work for him, and there are things I need to discuss with him."

The old man shook his head from side to side. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Huan Wei. Huan Zhong and his family left town five days ago. I don't know where they went."

The young man's eyes widened in surprise. "They left?"

"Yes."

This was not good. He knew Huan Zhong wouldn't be in this business for long, but he didn't think he would run away so soon. One second...

"Did you say five days ago?" Huan Wei asked curiously. "How many days have I been unconscious?"

"You've been here for eight days, Huan Wei."

The young man's plans were falling apart. He had lost so much time. He still had two silver pieces left in his pocket. Unless he had dropped them in the ocean when he fell off the cliff. He was knotted the pouch tightly inside his clothes. At that moment he regretted not putting his money in the same pouch. There was probably nothing to eat at home and Huan Chao wouldn't care if he was hungry.

"If you're feeling well, I have to send word to Huan Fu."

Huan Wei nodded. "I am feeling better. I can talk."

"Okay. Don't sit too long though. Lie down and get some rest." Huan Zihao headed for the door. Before he went out, the young man called after him.

"I hope you live many years, Old Zihao."

The old man smiled. "Thank you," he said and left, closing the door.

Huan Wei turned in front of him. He looked at his fists that he could not clench properly. "Because I want you to see the day when I kill everyone in this town. When I decide to destroy the miserable part of my life, I will let you try to escape to pay my debt."